Participates in BSDA 2026 Demo Day
Next‑Generation UGV GRUNT Draws Interest
Next‑Generation UGV GRUNT Draws Interest
Hanwha Aerospace (012450) successfully completed an integrated manned‑and‑unmanned performance demonstration in Romania. The showcase marked the first time a South Korean‑developed military unmanned ground vehicle demonstrated capabilities in Europe and highlighted the next‑generation battlefield concepts NATO and European partners are pursuing. Hanwha Aerospace said on May 14 that it participated in the Demo Day at the BSDA 2026 defense exhibition in Bucharest on May 12 (local time). Hanwha was the only South Korean company to take part in the demo.
At the event, Hanwha demonstrated a manned‑unmanned teaming combat system that integrated the wheeled armored vehicle TIGON, the next‑generation UGV GRUNT, and Estonia’s Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS. About 50 people attended, including Romania’s army chief of staff, senior commanders and defense‑industry officials from several countries.
Hanwha opened the demo with a future‑battlefield scenario linking manned armored vehicles and unmanned ground systems. GRUNT and THeMIS were sent ahead into a hazardous zone to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance in coordination with drones, while the TIGON provided troop transport and fire support. The demonstration then moved to unmanned resupply and casualty evacuation, illustrating the combined manned‑unmanned operational concept.
GRUNT drew strong interest on site. Built on the Arion‑SMET platform, GRUNT is a next‑generation unmanned ground vehicle. Its hybrid powertrain supports a maximum payload of 900 kg, and it features autonomous follow driving, automated detection and tracking, and electronic‑warfare countermeasures. A Romanian commander praised the demo, saying it showed how UGVs can integrate with existing weapon systems and commending Hanwha’s vehicle performance.
Park Byung‑ho, head of Hanwha Aerospace’s LS4 program, said, “By successfully completing Europe’s first live demo of a domestically developed UGV, we proved our technology and operational scalability on the global stage. Validating manned‑unmanned combined‑arms capabilities in a field environment demonstrates the next‑generation ground combat concepts NATO and European customers want, and it outlines the multi‑purpose unmanned system development path the South Korean military is pursuing.”
- Van Fleet Award winner Jensen Huang of Nvidia…“Contributed to U.S.-Korea AI semiconductor cooperation”
- Why did so many people move here?…How Jeongseon’s population suddenly jumped after 14 years
- “The Jung Yong‑jin Effect”: Emart posts biggest operating profit in 14 years
- “I used to drink this before workouts every day”…The beverage that can wreck your health while trying to bulk up [Healthy Time]
- Not just “Sangnoksu”…Student loan program excluded from the New Leap Fund
- When EV subsidies shrink, supply‑chain contribution will matter…Tesla likely to qualify [Pick Economy]
- If international students don’t come, it’s a disaster…Top U.S. universities face crisis without them
- S&P, Nasdaq hit record highs despite PPI shock amid Jensen Huang’s China visit [Daily Global Finance]
- Driver crashed a rental on Jeju days after getting a license…2,414 cases in five years, highest nationwide
- Like raindrops soaking clothes…Subscription fees leak about ₩200,000 (approximately $150) a month you don’t notice [Park Si‑jin’s Global Pick]
